I tried cahnging the battery on my 2002 Grand Prix Gt and there was no room at all. It took me 15 minutes to figure out how to turn the battery and another 10 to finally squeeze it in.. Why did they make that so difficult????

Brilliant GM engineering :rolleyes:

You should feel lucky that you have an '02... the 97-98's have the washer fluid tank right on top of it!

not mine haha took my 98 out and swaped it for the little neck.. i got a lil bit more room now

I am still trucking on the Original 2002 battery, says good for 7 years on the thing!!

(Knock on the Supercharger!)

Did you take out the cross brace covering it? I didn't think it was so hard. Oh yeah, some Buicks have the battery under the passenger seat... so don't complain!! haha

I rather do the battery then mess with the rear plugs, my hand too big for areas like that!

Yep, GM has a bad habit of placing their batteries in all the wrong places. The HMMWV (Humvee, or the original version of the Hummer H1) has both 12v batteries in a box under the seat that is JUST big enough for the batteries themselves. Never mind the room you need to grab the batteries or space to swing the tools to release the retention straps...

How about the Cobalt that has the battery in with, yes I said WITH the spare tire?

These are the reasons why engineers need to get beaten with a ratchet wrench BEFORE they go to school...(Sorry, Zuul)

Remove the cross brace and remove the neck of the washer fluid bottle. It's a job to get it done. I've had to remove mine a couple of times and it sucks, both getting out and trying to get it back in.

haha, I tend to agree though. I like to think theres two kinds of engineers: hands on, and textbook. Unforunately, usually what ultimately makes decisions is cost.
oh, and 'where crap is' I wouldn't consider to be an engineer's problem.

ya know, you're right, it isnt the engineer's problem. They all make too much money to ever work on their own stuff. It really is the technician's problem, cause we gotta fix what the engineers messed up in the first place.

Could be worse; at least they didn't hide them behind the inner fenderwell, like on some Chrysler Corp. cars...

lol

Easiest way to get a 78 series battery out of a GP: Remove crossbrace, turn sideways and lift out. Engine bays are getting small to maximize engine space while engines are staying the same size. Battery placement seems to be secondary to other parts.

this is one of the reasons I installed an Optima red top...not that I've had to remove it for anything but it has its own dandy carry/lift handle...remove the cross-brace and cables and lift away.

(my wifes Montana was MUCH more fun!)

Why the complaints? The battery isn't meant to be pulled out on a daily/monthly basis. If the engineers put everything we need in an easy access spot then our vehicles would be huge.